1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric circuit device adapted to configure an electric circuit that uses semiconductors, an electric circuit module with the device mounted therein, and an electric power converter having the module.
2. Description of the Related Art
Known techniques related to an electric circuit device adapted to configure an electric circuit that uses semiconductors, an electric circuit module having the device mounted therein, and an electric power converter having the module, are described in JP-A-2004-208411, JP-A-2004-193476, and JP-A-10-248266, for example. JP-A-2004-208411 discloses the technique for sandwiching high-side semiconductor chips (IGBT chip and diode chip) and low-side semiconductor chips (IGBT chip and diode chip) by use of a common middle-side plate and high-side plate and a common middle-side plate and low-side plate, respectively, and cooling each of the semiconductor chips from both sides.
Also, JP-A-2004-193476 discloses the technique for arranging an IGBT element and a diode element between a P-side electrode, a middle electrode, and an N-side electrode, and stacking these elements in a longitudinal direction for reduced line inductance.
Additionally, JP-A-10-248266 discloses the technique for arranging a semiconductor module and a smoothing capacitor vertically, electrically connecting these elements via two pairs of connection conductors that are a stacked structure of thin plates each fastened at one end to the terminal sections of the module and the capacitor, connected at the other end to each other with the same polarity, and formed with an insulating member sandwiched between heteropolar conductors, and shortening a line distance between the module and the capacitor in order to reduce line inductance therebetween.